Pumpkin Challah **

This recipe is a gluten-free version of Stephanie’s Pumpkin Challah that can be found on her website girlversusdough.com With my growing obsession for pumpkin and Autumn recipes, I couldn’t resist! So here is my very own pumpkin challah 🙂

Ingredients:(for one large loaf)

140g of warm water (around 25°C)

3 1/4 tsp of dried yeast

260g of whole rice flour

130g of glutinous rice flour

130g of nutsedge flour

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp salt

200g of pumpkin purée

85g of honey

85g of vegetable oil

2 eggs

1 egg yolk with 1 tsp of water

poppy seeds

Preparation: 25 minutes

Leavening time: 2 hours

Baking time: 35 minutes

Instructions:

Stir the yeast into the warm water, set aside for 10 minutes until foamy.

In a large bowl, mix the flours together, along with the spices and the salt until combined.

When the yeast is foamy, add the purée, the honey, the oil and the two eggs. Mix until combined.

Make a well in the flour. Pour the pumpkin and yeast mixture in the well, mix with a wooden spoon until the dough starts to form, then knead by hand for 5 to 10 minutes. Add more rice flour if needed until soft and elastic dough forms.

Shape the dough into a ball. Cover with cling film and let it leaven in a warm place for about an hour.

Preheat the oven to 200°C. On a sheet of parchment paper, divide the dough in three and roll the dough to form same length logs. Braid the dough and tuck the ends under. Cover with a humid towel and let the braid leaven in a warm place for an additional hour.

Brush the top of the loaf with the yolk and water, sprinkle the poppy seeds on top, place the loaf on parchment paper on a tray and let it bake for 35 minutes until golden brown.

Last tip: Be careful not to dry your dough too much by adding extra flour. Gluten free dough needs more water to leaven than normal dough due to its lack of elasticity.